Philosophy Bites and a Chunk of Conversations

Philosophy Bites by David Edmonds and Nigel Warburton

What a brilliant book for me to digest over the Christmas Break, its full of lively exchanges about a whole variety of topics from Vagueness to Infinity. I love the one on Cosmpolitanism between Nigel Warburton, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the Open University, and Kwame Anthony Appiah, of Princeton University.

There is fabulous discussion which includes conversation and what use the exchange of views is, especially when we disagree with one others choices. Kwame says “ Look, the claim isn’t, and shoudn’t be, that conversation will resolve everything. It won’t. We have to learn to live with the fact that for the very long foreseeable future there will be disagreements within and across societies. And as the world becomes more and more like a single society, these will all be more like internal disagreements. But there will still be lots of disagreements. The conversation is aimed at being able to live with people, whether you agree with them or not.”

I don't have to change their mind

This is such a counter-intuitive thing when we believe passionately in an opposing view and staying in the dialogue is hard work. Kuame’s words really point out to me that having the conversation means something to both sides especially when we don’t changes our minds and that anything that helps me to live and work with people is a very precious thing.

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